DIY concrete counter tops for $150 or less

This weekend my dad and I worked on my kitchen counter tops.  I had decided on doing concrete counter tops awhile ago; probably even before I decided to start the kitchen remodel. I just love the look of the concrete counter tops and despite my perfectionist tendencies, love the imperfections and character that concrete counter tops have. I think it's perfect despite its imperfections.

I took tons of pictures, so this post will be loaded with them. I found that most of the blog posts I read about concrete counter tops did not give as much detail as I would have liked, so I will also try to be as detailed as possible for those of you out there that want details (in case you want to try this on your own!)

Before you start, I recommend making sure you have all the tools you will need. We thought we did, but the sandpaper we had was not rough enough to scuff up the Formica; it only smoothed it out more. We ended up running to Lowes and picking some up.  

Here's a list of what you need:

32 grit sandpaper

belt sander (we found this worked best)
Ardex Feather Finish (make sure you calculate sq ft and get enough, I got two bags and have about half a bag left over)

120 grit sandpaper for smoothing in between coats
hand sander

various troughs and spatulas

container for mixing concrete

 sealer made for concrete counter tops

 polish made for concrete counter tops (The one below smells really weird and kind of gross so open a window when you polish, I will probably look into a different brand for the future.)

 
Now here's the tricky part. I had the hardest time finding the Ardex Feather Finish in local hardware stores. I ended up buying it on Amazon (Yay for Amazon and having literally EVERYTHING!) Since I bought two bags of the Ardex instead of one and had to get additional sandpaper because the sandpaper we had was not rough enough I did end up spending a little more than I had planned, but I know that I did not spend more than $150 total for everything. Not a bad deal for brand new, beautiful counter tops, if you ask me.

Now, onto the process...

First of all, you need to remove everything from the counters, including the sink. Now, I'm pretty sure my sink weighs as much as me, so make sure if you have a huge ceramic sink, that you have strong people to help you out with it. Once you have removed everything from your way, you can get to sanding the counters to make them rough. Again, make sure you use the roughest sandpaper you can find; we used 32 grit ceramic with a belt sander. The circular sander didn't seem to cut it, but the belt sander worked perfectly to rough everything up. Clean the surface after you have sanded with a wet rag and let it dry before you start with the concrete.

Ardex Feather Finish is a pretty fast drying mixture so you need to be sure you don't mix too much at a time. To make the mixture you need to use 2 parts Ardex to 1 part water. We used 2 cups to 1 cup water and sometimes 4 cups to 2 cups water. I read that you should let it sit for 5 minutes after you mix it to let it "fast set" before mixing it again and applying it to the counters, so that is what we did. Mix up your 2:1 ratio and let sit for 5 minutes. Then remix and apply in a thin layer. You will repeat this step three additional times, sanding with 120 grit sandpaper in between. I used a hand sander each time because that was what I was most comfortable with, but you could use whatever you want (just be careful).

Here are some photos of our process:

Sanding down the counters with a belt sander.

 First thin coat applied.

 Applying first coat to the rest of the counters.

Still applying the first coat.

 Smoothing out the edges on the first coat.

 First coat applied. Wondering how long it will take to dry...

 First coat drying. Still wondering how long it will take.

 Still drying... Oh look, a dog!

 Still drying...

 All dry. Not sanded. Ended up being about 2 hours to dry.

First coat sanded and ready for the next coat. Already starting to see come character.

Second coat.

Detailed look at the character coming out with the second coat.

 

 Third coat done and sanded.

 Another view of the third coat.

 Fourth coat done and sanded. Finally!

Another view of the last coat done and sanded.

More last coat looks.

Detailed look at the last coat.

Immediately following the first coat of sealer.

 Another picture following first coat of sealer.

 Sealer starting to dry.

 After the second coat of sealer.

All dry. Waiting for polish.

 Counters dry. Waiting 48 hours for polish.

 Sink is in and working. Waiting to polish the counters. Also waiting for new faucet. That isn't going in until EVERYTHING is done (don't need to break another faucet, especially fancy one I splurged a little on)

 After being polished and ready for use.

 Other side of counter after polish.

 Another view after polish.

You will have some down time in between the coats of concrete. We used this time to work on a few small things we needed to work on. For example; we were able to fix some electrical work and lights in the basement, finish the pantry closet with shelves, door, and trim, and fix the plumbing under the sink so the hot water was going to the dishwasher instead of cold. It was a very productive weekend, even with the loss of 1 hour. I'm unbelievably pleased with the result. This can most definitely be considered a NAILED IT. I'll post an update in a few months regarding how it stands up to wear and tear, but as for right now, I am extremely pleased and love the result. I find myself walking past the counter and touching it because it's so pretty and perfect.

Next up, backsplash. Eric and I are hoping to work on getting the materials ready this weekend. We are going to be using pallet wood so it needs to be prepped so it can stand up to kitchen use. Hopefully my next kitchen post will involve the backsplash and my open shelves. That's the plan at least.